Breakable, Unbreakable
by TheKiro
Summary: He should've known better. Humans were too fragile. Why did he even bother? [Aomine/OC] [Tokyo Ghoul AU]
1. Break

Yeah. Kinda needed a break from fluff and the _tiny_ _**winy**_ writer's block which drives me mad yet again. KnB is so _normal_, in Zelda I could at least kill off stuff here and there (_I'm a huge fan of action really_)...so after listening to the opening once again, I couldn't help it. It is an amazing song.

Don't mind me. I'm running away from updating my other stories. **Extremely sorry about that**.

It's not going to be a long story, just a three shot or something. I just needed action and blood and distraction. _Sweats_. I'm really trying to get the next chapter done for '_Lionheart_'. Promise.

_Watch out for foul language and a bit gore and blood and stuff._

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><p><strong>BREAK<strong>

* * *

><p>"You're slow."<p>

He turned towards her with a frown, watching her double her steps to keep up with his long strides. But he never once stopped. He never gave her the opportunity to truly catch up. The girl was forced to start jogging in the end. Finally reaching his side instead of just following him like a lost puppy, though, in the end she did end up a step behind him anyway with her pace.

"Your legs are too long."

Aomine snorted, looking forward again.

"_Sure_, let me just cut them off real quick."

"You wouldn't..."

Her voice sunk into a lower pitch, resembling a whisper more than anything. And her grey eyes were wide. The moment he glanced at her from the corner of his eye, his bad mood was already forgotten. He had to force his lips to keep still and not melt into an amused grin. She was too trusting, something she shouldn't be. Not after what had happened four days ago. After what she had seen him do..._ah_, the humor was gone again. Thanks to his brain which just couldn't keep its mouth shut.

"Of course not, _stupid_." Clicking his tongue the blue haired man glared at her half-heartedly. "It still fucking hurts, ya know?"

She blinked at him, at first relieved - but then she glared right back. "Don't make such jokes, Aomine. They are terrible."

"On contrary." He breathed in return. "I've been told that I'm god damn hilarious."

She did laugh then. Shaking her head as she grinned, the cheeks colored in a soft rosy-red. And his lips twitched. Wanting to return the gesture - because hell, how long has it been since he had been able to breath and feel comfortable with a human being who knew exactly what he was? _Never_. Aomine could count it on his fingertips. This was the first time. And probably a terrible idea to begin with, really fucking terrible.

"We're here." She looked away, gazing at the building they had reached. "Thanks for accompanying me."

"Yeah, whatever." He shrugged with his broad shoulders, his steel blue eyes avoiding hers. "Just, ya know, don't go with anyone. Even if they say, they know me..._especially_ not if they say they know me."

"Roger that." The girl held onto the strap of her bag, smiling once again at him. "See you."

"Yeah."

He watched her as she walked away, approaching the university she attended. But she didn't disappear immediately, turning around once more to wave goodbye. Aomine didn't return it though. He just stood there at the entrance, waiting patiently until she disappeared in the building and from his sight.

"Fucking stupid idea..." He sighed quietly, forcing his feet to finally move away.

This all was nothing but a damn mess.

* * *

><p><em>There had been so much blood.<em>

His steel blue eyes rose towards the ceiling of the café. Staring at a certain little spot in the warm beige it was colored in. There was only little going on around him. A few hushed voices, quiet conversations with the sunlight flooding the room through the broad windows. And the scent of fresh brewed coffee filled his senses, making him take a deep breath as his mind remembered the certain bloody night.

_So much._

Aomine could still taste it if he tried to remember it. He could still feel the warmth of the skin he had torn through, the guts he had pulled out of another ghoul. The wide eyes, the coughing, the growling - and the paralyzed figure of a girl who only stared at him. Terrified, cowering away in a corner to hide in the darkness of the night. She had been same one he always saw at the coffee shop down the other street. Who always stood in front of him in the waiting line, with the light orange strands of hair she always tied up...

The reason why he had ventured into the damn side-street in the first place, he thought. This was no place for a human. She was lost, he could see that. This district was too close to another hunting ground, not that she'd knew that in any way. But _he_ did.

_"Oh my god...a-are you okay?"_

Aomine snorted, lifting his cup to his lips. He had torn through two ghouls, his eyes black and red, glowing in the darkness of the empty street. His damn jacket had been a mess. Coated in blood and sweat, torn at the seams, his lips pulled back in a snarl because those fools had been stupid enough to attack him. After he had even warned them, according to his opinion that was a death wish.

But a human asking how a ghoul was doing. Yeah_, that _was weird. Her fingers had been trembling, her grey eyes glowing in recognition. She knew him. She remembered seeing him in those countless times in that damn coffee shop when he stood behind her in the waiting line.

_The blue haired ghoul should have killed her._

She was a variable he couldn't control. She could have reported him. That night, the next morning, every single minute until today...and what did he do instead? Took her with him to Satsuki's place, because his brain was pretty much malfunctioning and he wasn't able to tell left from right anymore.

How else could he explain the fact that the orange haired girl clung onto the rim of his torn jacket? Too scared to let go or even speak after he had just stared at her earlier, half of his face decorated by a bloody handprint of the guy who had tried to fight him off. Aomine had been surprised that she hadn't cried or screamed, even after he lifted his hood and hid his face as he moved through the sleeping city towards the only place he knew would help him...

"_D_a_i_-chan."

His gaze flickered towards the face which appeared beside him.

"What."

Satsuki's smile shrunk in size as he merely frowned into her direction. She started pouting, leaning back onto her heels with her arms akimbo. You'd mean she'd get used to his rough attitude after all those years.

"You could smile once in a while, you know?"

The pink haired girl lifted her hands towards the counter, rubbing the surface with a rag.

"If you continue to frown like that, I'm sure your face will freeze up."

Aomine scoffed at her weak argument, continuing to sip on his coffee to appease his stomach for today. It wasn't like he cared what anyone thought about his usual expression. If his face kept people away, the better. That meant less trouble.

"_Nah_, too much work."

Satsuki huffed lightly, her cleaning ceasing as she glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes.

"...how's Mia-chan doing?"

"Fine." He muttered beneath his breath. "Nothing unusual..." Aomine became quiet for a second, maybe even debating whether he should voice his thought or not. But in the end, he did mutter these few words beneath his next breath.

"...she smiles."

The pink haired girl blinked at him, taking in his very quiet words before she smiled once again. With ease Satsuki turned back to the counter she had been wiping before, continuing with her task while her expression had grown rather warm and patient.

"That's good."

Aomine lifted his cup. He barely nodded as he drank the rest of his still too hot beverage, feeling suddenly stupid to have said something like that. But it was true. It was no miracle that this girl had been traumatized after that night. He would have definitely understood it if she would have screamed or yelled. Cried and reported him in a heartbeat. Humans tended to be like that. Overreacting, terrified by anything they didn't consider normal.

And Mia had certainly not smiled afterwards...even though she had always done so before.

At that damn coffee shop...when he bumped into her or if she stumbled into anyone else...she'd always apologize and smile. Even if it wasn't her own damn fault. And she'd turn red, he thought suddenly. She'd always blush...

Aomine's face turned darker as he looked up. "_Ryō._"

The brown haired boy jumped, nearly letting go of the glass he cleaning at this very moment. It didn't take long until he glanced shyly over his thin shoulders, pale and nervous, because who knew if he hadn't done anything wrong yet. The scrawny teen hadn't worked here for that long - Aomine still didn't know where Satsuki had found him in the first place - but since then he had done nothing but yelp and cry whenever the blue haired ghoul said his name.

"Y-yes?"

At least he didn't scream the _'yes!'_ anymore like a soldier.

"Coffee...make me another..."

"Of course." Ryō quickly set the glass he had been cleaning down, turning towards the coffee machine at his side.

Aomine leaned onto the counter, using one of his hands to support his chin. He should stop thinking about it already. He should damn well stop picking her up. Taking her to school and then back home, because even if the orange-head didn't know it - he knew what he had done that night. If those idiots would have just heeded his warning and went back to their own hunting territories...he sighed again.

_That damn, stupid, stupid night..._

* * *

><p>"Dai-chan?"<p>

Satsuki had opened the door to her small flat looking anything but prepared. The usual bubbly girl wore nothing fancy like in the café she worked at all the time, no, instead she stood there in a fluffy sweater which looked way too big for her. _Had it been one of his old ones?_ Aomine couldn't help but remember that it looked faintly like one of his old ones, though he hardly really looked into his closet...

The pink haired girl's face had quickly changed though.

"Oh my gosh! What happened to your face?" Satsuki gushed, lifting a hand to his bloodied cheek which was poorly concealed by hoodie anymore. The light of her flat exposed everything, he supposed.

"I swear, _you're_ going to be the reason why we're..." Her upcoming preaching died upon her tongue as she finally noticed that he wasn't alone. Doubtfully, Satsuki leaned to the side. Glancing around Aomine's broad figure where the paralyzed orange haired girl was still standing. Not able to look anywhere but her trembling hands which still clung to the rim of the young man's jacket.

"Oh no..." Satsuki breathed."...what...what happened?_ Is she?_" A single deep breath was enough to know. "She is..."

His deep blue eyes finally locked with her rosy-red ones. And for the first time in quite a while, Aomine spoke up.

"I fucked up."

He had been so sure, and he still was, that his childhood friend had so many things to tell him. How he always caused trouble, how he always picked fights with everyone. That he'd be the reason why they'd have to leave Tokyo and move somewhere else, because they were bound to get caught with his attitude. But that night she had said nothing like that.

Instead she had been the responsible and friendly girl he had known nearly all his life. Taking the mismatched pair in for the night where Aomine was finally able to shower and wash his clothes - _how had no one reported him?_ He looked like a fucking serial killer with all that blood. And he had been forced to wear a pair of old jogging pants and a shirt he had left an eternity ago at Satsuki's place, still better than nothing though, he guessed.

Mia hadn't uttered a single word in the meanwhile; she was just sitting on the way too soft couch. Her trembling fingers glued to her knees now because she had to let go of his jacket earlier. And Satsuki was hurrying around her flat, trying to find something, anything for the traumatized girl to drink or eat. She had found nothing in the end though. What ghoul kept such food in their fridge anyway if they couldn't eat it? She had water though. And coffee. Tons of coffee.

Aomine was pretty sure that this had been one of the longest nights he had ever experienced in his life up until now...

After hours and hours of silence and attempts by Satsuki to calm her and explain a little; it ended in such a bizarre way. With the orange-head's gaze lifting, filled with a spark of life instead of numbing fear. She was truly looking at them, not even trying to avoid their eyes or cry and flee.

_"...thank you for helping me..."_

A _human_ thanked a _ghoul_.

He had never expected to live long enough to see that happen.

* * *

><p>Scratching his neck Aomine stood not far away from the university's entrance. He easily ignored anyone else who left the building, overlooking the strangers for the familiar bright colored hair. But sometimes, his eyes would stray away. Looking left and right, trying to see as much as he could out of the corner of his eyes...his ears strained to pick up anything which didn't seem normal...<p>

Two ghouls were now as good as dead, probably still trying to collect their viscera. He was more than certain that those flies weren't exactly dead yet, he hadn't given them the last finishing blow they needed. But on backsight it had been a mistake. A damn big mistake.

"Sorry." A light voice suddenly rasped, trying to catch its breath. "The professor really didn't want to stop talking..."

Aomine immediately shifted his glance towards Mia who tried to even her breath after running. And he hated to say that, but to see her calmed the turmoil inside his head rather fast. She was doing well. She was fine. He hadn't fucked _this_ up yet. The blue haired ghoul blinked this thought away as he shrugged with his broad shoulders, finally turning away from the grand building.

"Whatever, c'mon."

"Did you wait long?" The orange-head wondered immediately, joining his side as they left her university behind them.

"Yeah."

The girl's face fell, obvious guilt written across her features - until her expression hardened.

"...you're messing with me again, aren't you?"

Aomine dared to snicker, grinning at her lopsidedly while Mia tried to shove him away. He didn't really budge much, but his snickers grew a bit louder because it was just so amusing to watch her face twist into a frown. Her cheeks warm and ears colored in a burning red.

"Just a few minutes." He finally replied truthfully. "Ain't nothing."

"Stupid." She muttered beneath her breath, crossing her arms beneath her chest. "Say...I don't mind being escorted all the time but, but doesn't it annoy you?"

He glanced at her immediately and Mia's eyes fell to the ground before she returned his stare.

"I mean, you probably got a lot of stuff to do, too. Right?"

"Not really."

"Oh." Mia blinked at him. "Then...then it's cool, I guess. I mean, I'm really thankful...it's just-"

"I wanna do it." Aomine interjected. "So shut up."

The orange-head nodded slowly, looking forward again as his curt reply ended their small conversation just like that. She didn't even realize that he led her through another street than the previous days. Or that he glimpsed towards the distance behind them with a frown. Maybe karma finally decided to kick him after all, he thought, because he'd always recognize this certain scent anywhere.

"_Oi._" Aomine drawled quietly. "You got time right now?"

* * *

><p>"Mia-chan!"<p>

Satsuki abandoned the tray from one second to another as she saw who exactly had stepped into the small comfy café. Her pretty uniform moved with every hectic step she took. An outfit Mia hadn't seen her wear before yet - obviously, this was just their second meeting - but the bubbly girl engulfed the orange-head in a tight loving hug anyway. She went on and on about how nice it was to see her, how she had been worried and she was certain that Aomine was nothing but rude to her. His half-hearted complain though was ignored and Mia pulled inside towards the counter.

"I'm so excited." Satsuki laughed. "Wait right here, I'll make you an amazing coffee!"

"O...okay?" The orange haired girl replied, still overwhelmed.

The pretty waitress sent her a last grin before she quickly rushed behind the counter, already reaching and fetching a few things. Ryō who had only witnessed this all with a nervous glance was suddenly caught by Aomine's deafening stare. The blue haired ghoul nodded towards his childhood friend, ordering the nervous boy without a single word to prevent the worst. And dutifully as he was, he moved to Satsuki's side. Offering his fellow colleague to help out since he still wanted to learn - _lies_, Ryō was already better than the bubbly girl and their manager - but Satsuki was too happy to decline.

"I've never been here before." Mia said quietly as Aomine sat down next to her. "It looks very nice."

"People like you don't come here often anyway." He drawled lazily, leaning onto the counter.

"People like...? _Oh._" The girl looked briefly over her shoulder towards the other guests, every one of them busy with themselves. But he still watched her curiously. Observing the way her gaze darted from spot to spot until she looked back towards him. "Is it...okay that I'm here then?"

"What?"

"I don't want to be rude or anything, I mean."

Aomine snorted, shaking his head. "Somethin' is wrong with your head, you know that?"

Mia scowled at him, lifting her arms to cross them upon the counter's surface. "Well, _sorry_ for having actually manners."

"Yeah. Ya should apologize for that."

This time she couldn't suppress her own smile and laughter, the dark grey in her eyes lighting up with the good natured spirit their little banter had. And it was so strange yet nice to hear it, he thought. There was some sort of pride or warmth swelling in his chest. Uncomfortable and yet too good to let go off completely, because there was this _human_ here, his mind repeated.

A human who had seen him tear apart two ghouls right in front of her eyes. But they were sitting here now, in one of the casual spots where his kind met up and tried to live in some kind of bizarre peace. And she was still looking at him with...

Aomine wasn't able to find the right word for it.

Could respect count? It was the best word he was able to come up with. And he wasn't really picky, so the blue haired ghoul chose to stick to that. Even if it sounded a little strange that someone respected his good old lazy ass.

"Tadaa!"

Satsuki appeared on the other side of the counter, setting two cups in front of them with a big smile. And after his steel blue eyes flickered towards Ryō - who nodded urgently to show that the warm beverage was acceptable - he reached for his cup. Mia was still blinking, making the waitress fiddle nervously with her fingers.

"Does it smell bad?"

"What?" The orange-head looked up quickly. "No! No, no, no - I'm afraid, I just don't really like coffee...I mean, coffee without-"

Aomine was blowing away the steam above his cup while his free hand already reached for the tiny bowl to his left. He set it down right next to Mia, offering her the sugar cubes without even awaiting the rest of her sentence. And quietly he ignored her smile and _'thanks'_, just like Satsuki's expression which seemed to shine like the sun outside with her newfound joy.

"I'm so happy to see you again, Mia-chan!"

Picking up a few sugar cubes, the orange-head dropped them into her warm beverage.

"It's nice to see you again too, Momoi-san."

Satsuki huffed playfully, leaning against the counter on the other side. "Oh, you can call me Satsuki! Can I call you Mi-chan as well?" It wasn't hard to notice how his childhood friend was already bouncing on her toes. "And I've been shopping actually. I've bought a few cookies and snacks since last time I couldn't..."

The pink haired girl suddenly looked towards her fingernails a tad bit nervous. "...I mean, only if you ever considered coming over again of course...I know, it's probably rude to expect you to..."

"I'd love to." Mia interrupted her, holding onto her now sweetened coffee. "Mo- Satsuki-san. Thank you for going out of your way to even buy those snacks...it sounds like fun."

"Oh, don't thank me!" Satsuki giggled in relief. "I've always wanted to buy some even if I can't eat them...I was a bit excited as I finally had a reason to get them."

"Momoi-san." All three pairs of eyes glanced towards the brown haired boy who jumped slightly because of all the attention he suddenly received. "I'm sorry, but, but I haven't roasted the beans by myself before. I'm sorry for asking but could you please help me?"

"Of course." The pink haired girl replied. "Excuse me."

Mia sipped onto her coffee, smiling over the rim of the warm porcelain cup before Satsuki turned away from them. Aomine observed her quietly out of the corner of his eyes, noting how her shoulders relaxed even further after she took a nip of her coffee. But the girl wasn't able to hide the tiny quirk of her lips, the rim of the cup still pressed against her bottom lip.

"You hate coffee." He muttered beneath his breath. "Why didn't ya tell her?"

Her grey eyes moved towards him, slightly wide. And only then Aomine realized that she had never told him that. Of course she didn't - they were complete strangers. They had never spoken to each other until those few days ago. He only knew her from that coffee shop. From standing right behind her and listening to her orders, the barista had offered her a coffee once. Special offer and all, but she had declined. Preferring the hot chocolate every time no matter what time of the year it was...damn, he felt suddenly really, really stupid...

"She looked so happy." Mia mumbled after a little while. "It feels hard to say _'no'_ if Satsuki-san looks so happy."

He snorted, drinking his still too hot coffee to cover up his moronic train of thought.

"Watch out, she can be extremely annoying if ya don't tell her _'no'_ once in a while."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Mia smiled at him before she reached once again for the sugar cubes, keen on drinking the coffee still. All he could do was shake his head. The blue haired ghoul leaned onto the counter, cupping his chin with one of his hands to get more comfortable. It was a spontaneous idea to bring her here, maybe not the best one - yet again. But at least this café had become something like a neutral ground in their district. If she was going to be safe anywhere, then it would be here.

He should have eaten those ghouls that night. That would have saved him so much possible trouble.

Or he should've ignored her...let her walk straight into the dangerous alley and her death.

Aomine decided to just drink the rest of his hot coffee in one go, ignoring the burning sensation it brought with it. He rarely felt pain anyway. He had felt worse. And the uncomfortable sting it created was perfect to keep his mind on its toes.

Life had been simple once.

It wasn't anymore.

Or maybe...it had never been.


	2. Breath

_Thank you for all the encouragements!_ It makes me happy to see other Tokyo Ghoul fans in the KnB corner, haha. And yes! Action, fights and bloody stuff! Everything you'll ever need in life. This little story here was a very spontaneous idea though; I hope no one expects something revolutionary, haha. (_Still running from the other stories like a badass._)

To the guest review! _**Guest**_ - Thank you! I hope you'll like this chapter as well!

And this is still going to be nothing but a three shot, I think! It's not gonna be a long term project.

Thank you for all the follows, favorites and reviews!

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><p><strong>BREATH<strong>

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><p>"Seriously?"<p>

Mia gaped at the shy brown haired boy who was busy wiping a table in the corner of the café. She didn't want to believe it at first; he could see that just fine. But that was quite easy to understand. Ryō looked nothing like a predator, it was a miracle that he had survived this long before he had come to their ward.

As far as Aomine had heard, the nervous boy had never killed intentionally another living being - human or ghoul. That was a rarity.

"Yeah, the only other humans beside you are the two girls at the window actually."

His voice had lowered an octave or two, keeping their conversation as private as possible. They sat once again at the counter of the comfy establishment. It was the second time he had brought her here after he had started to pick her up from her university. He felt watched. Or better said he was pretty much certain that she was being watched now since he had stopped her from getting eaten.

Ghouls didn't protect humans. They ate them. They killed other ghouls _in order_ to eat them. And it was not helping him in any way that he didn't have many friends around the other wards...it finally seemed to haunt him that he wasn't really such a social butterfly like the pink haired girl. Damn it all.

But at least Satsuki didn't mind it.

His steel blue eyes observed Mia's curious expression as she glanced over her shoulder towards the two teenagers who were sitting in front of the window. Talking and giggling about something neither of them could truly hear. But those two were the only ones who were eating two pieces of a cake, the orange-head would note soon. The other people in this room only sat quietly on their spot, drinking coffee or nothing at all.

"Do...they _know_?"

"No." Aomine deadpanned, leaning further onto the counter. "Ya ain't supposed to know either..."

Mia furrowed her brow softly, nodding slowly to express that she did understand what he meant. And the reason behind it, of course. But it was difficult to really approach this topic in between them; all the girl really knew about his species was what the pink haired ghoul had told her on that dark night. Hushed explanations, hints and little things...Aomine could remember them well. He had sat across from her on Satsuki's armchair the whole time after all.

The question was if the orange-head truly understood which door she had stepped through...or where he had dragged her into more or less forcefully.

"I never believed something like this would exist though..."

"It's small." Aomine muttered beneath his breath. "Nijimura got really pissed at the non-existent order in the 16th ward, said he had enough." He nodded towards the people around them subtly, reaching for his coffee. "That's all his idea."

"Nijimura?"

"Manager." The blue haired ghoul drawled. "'Can be a real pain in the ass...just like Satsuki."

"I heard that, Dai-chan!"

Mia smiled in amusement as the pink haired girl shook her fist a little, turning away from the cups and glasses she was putting back into the cupboard behind the counter. Even if only to throw her childhood friend a playful glare for a short second, but Aomine shrugged it off, turning his attention back to the cup of coffee in front of him. That stuff couldn't tame his hunger for much longer...the taste of ghoul blood wasn't really helping either. It was too bitter.

But...

His dark eyes fell to Mia who was sipping onto the hot chocolate Ryō had prepared for her. Of course only after the orange-head had told him a handful of times that it had turned out just fine - the nervous couldn't try it himself after all. But with the human right beside him it was slightly awkward to truly think about his hunger.

One of the topics they didn't talk about was food.

For obvious reasons.

He scratched the back of his head, his attention falling back to the steaming cup of coffee.

Always seeking refuge in this neutral zone wasn't optimal either. He couldn't drag the orange-head here all the time, walking her back home when it looked safe enough. Picking her up every day since who knew if those lousy mutts would return when he wasn't looking. Sighing beneath his breath, Aomine could only frown to himself. It felt like he had gotten himself a pet. A little living being he had to look after.

Humans were too fragile. He had felt too often how their glass-like bones broke beneath his touch. How soft the flesh could be if you squeezed it with all your strength**-**

Closing his eyes, the blue haired ghoul stopped his train of thought right there.

* * *

><p>"<em>Hah?<em>"

It was dark in the alley. The cloudy sky above them was concealing the bruised night sky from their view, and the cold of the city crawled through the streets. Aomine stuffed his hands into his jacket's pockets, leaning back against the brick wall of the tall building behind him. The red haired young man beside him looked up. He was crouching down unlike the dark skinned ghoul, tapping his can of coffee against the pavement in a slow rhythm.

"You're kiddin' right?"

"No." Aomine growled back half-hearted, glaring at the redhead. "Why the hell should I?"

His companion stared at him. Blinking a few times, before a sigh escaped him.

"You're fucking stupid."

"Shut up, Bakagami."

"I'm just bein' honest." He encountered, obviously growing annoyed. "Just _when_ did you think it was a good idea, eh?"

Aomine glowered at the redhead, the frown on his face darkening more and more. But he couldn't argue. He had no good answer or comeback, because the ghoul didn't know himself when he had thought it had been a good idea to interfere. Maybe he should have just ignored her afterwards, then it wouldn't have been too suspicious that she was still alive. It could have looked like he just defended the territory there. It belonged to their crew anyway. No low ghoul should expect to survive it if they caused trouble in the sixteenth ward.

But _no_, he had to pick her up and drop her off everywhere like a mother hen.

The blue haired ghoul had fucked this up. _He knew that._

"I dunno."

The other young man sighed once again, tapping his can one last time onto the hard ground with force. "So, what do you wanna do? Just walk into their turf like it's nothin'?"

"I want them to fuck off. Yeah."

"It's a human, Aomine. You do know that you're fretting over a human right now, don't you?"

Aomine kicked the redhead lightly, ignoring his following insult as he lifted an eyebrow. "You in or not, Kagami? I ain't here to listen to your shitty wisdom."

"...whatever."

Kagami, as the blue haired ghoul has called him, finally stood up. The empty coffee can was still in his hand, empty and dented. But he started to grin lopsidedly towards his fellow companion. Shrugging with his broad shoulders to indicate that he certainly had nothing against the idea, it wasn't like they hadn't done worse already.

"I'm in."

The deep blue of Aomine's eyes lit up, reflecting the light of the streetlamp in the distance. He had actually expected to hear more nonsense. Rants or insults, because that's how these two mostly worked. Whatever little friendship they had that is. But the redhead had agreed, finally throwing the empty coffee can away which landed in an open trash container in the distance. Neither of them broke the eye contact they shared though, still staring at another before Aomine's started to grin.

"This Saturday they're huntin' around the sewers."

Kagami snorted. "Ain't that _damn_ close...how do you know?"

The blue haired ghoul could only laugh dryly. "Their friend liked to talk."

* * *

><p>"Satsuki-san visits courses, too?"<p>

Mia blinked at him in surprise, looking away from the shelf. Aomine shrugged with his shoulders, his attention elsewhere since it had been nearly years that he had visited a supermarket. He knew vending machines. Yeah. Maybe convenience stores for magazines, or stores which sold video games and stuff like that.

Supermarkets. Those were the unknown front.

"That's why she works in the café and stuff. She only visits them though; she ain't attending the university itself."

The orange-head parted her lips, ready to ask _'why'_. But the young man could easily see how she stopped herself from doing so. Her dark eyes fell to the basket she held onto, realizing how dangerous it could be for the pink haired girl. If ghouls were caught, it was a dead-sentence. And if humans were caught, protecting or hiding their existence their life didn't look too rosy either, Aomine thought as he watched Mia reach for one of the packages in the shelf.

"...did you attend school, too?"

"Till middle school...kinda fell out of there in third year."

Mia put the package to the other things she wanted to purchase. Nothing he really cared about, since everything here was disgusting to him anyway. But he was strangely content standing here; accompanying the orange-head who told him she had to buy some things before returning home. It wasn't like he could leave her alone. Not until this Saturday night.

"Was it too noisy?"

He blinked, glancing at her out of the corner of his eyes.

"Annoying. Stressful and loud, never liked it..." The blue haired ghoul grew quiet for a second. "Satsuki pushed me to do it, said I had to at least learn the basics and stuff...hard to believe that she was able to pull through it all."

"Satsuki-san is amazing."

Aomine's lips curved into a lopsided grin. The pink haired girl was indeed annoying at times, always bugging him and meddling with everything. But he was proud of her, too. He counted on her more than he'd liked to let on. And it felt good to hear that Mia thought like that. That she didn't allow any rumors or prejudices to cloud her opinion.

Of course she was different, his mind muttered, that's why she had stood out.

Whenever he visited the coffee shop, because Satsuki's coffees still tasted awful, he couldn't help but notice her. The small human in front of him in the line, sometimes a novel in her hands - at other times notes she had taken in her courses. Or magazines about video games and some movies, _good ones_ he mused. Always good ones, she didn't like the sappy or lousy stuff.

Still busy with all these small thoughts in his mind, Aomine followed her absent-minded trough the supermarket. Down the aisle to a shelf where the girl actually stood for awhile, staring at the different colored packages and wrappings. Only as he forcefully pushed the memories away, deep into a corner of his brain where they couldn't bother him anymore - the ghoul realized they stood in front of the coffee section.

"You hate coffee." He deadpanned, watching the orange-head turn towards him slightly flustered.

"I _know_ that, Sherlock." She murmured. "But...Satsuki-san bought snacks especially for me...so, I want to do the same for her if she comes to visit me some time..."

His steel blue eyes were glued to her burning ears which were still glowing after she looked forward again. Her embarrassment was easy to see, although he still couldn't understand what was wrong inside of her head...humans were funny. _And his human especially_. The tall young man snickered quietly to himself, feeling Mia flinch and, no doubt, turn even redder.

"_Oh_, shut up you-"

Aomine ignored her upcoming half-hearted insult as he reached over her head for a brand in the upper shelf. The girl's glare melted away as she watched him grab a package, handing it over to her smoothly while her face was torn between telling him to shut it and be curious about the reason why he had done that.

"That's her favorite brand."

Mia's fingers brushed over the package, her gaze slowly rising to meet his after his words seeped through her skull. And she was smiling again, not hung up after his little remark. Aomine was used to people not liking his attitude, getting into fights and listen to the other party being hurt or angry because of something he said. Satsuki was used to him, yeah, they had practically lived together since they were young - but Mia didn't seem to hold any grudge even though they didn't know each for long.

Humans could be funny indeed.

"Thank you...should I buy more of it then for her?"

She turned back towards the shelf, thinking about the pink haired ghoul's feelings seriously. And somehow - a little part of his spoiled bratty mind, reached towards another package. Throwing it into her basket to the other groceries, which made her turn towards him in surprise.

"I hate Satsuki's favorite, it tastes too mild."

Mia only stared at him for a second, her dark grey eyes slowly falling to the other brand of coffee. But just when his brain was about to kick his heart for doing something so childish and stupid, she laughed. Aomine looked away, frowning at the shelf on the other side of the aisle. It hadn't been like he had wanted to hint at something, truthfully, he hadn't even thought about why he had done that.

"I'll remember that."

As his steel blue eyes flickered back to her, she was grinning at him. Turning away to move towards the cash register in the front, it must have been the last thing on her shopping list. But the orange-head kept both brands. Paying for them while he merely stood beside her like the idiot he was, supermarkets were _still_ not really his thing.

He trailed after her after the girl had accepted the plastic back with her groceries. Stepping out of the supermarket into the cool late afternoon air, the orange sky nearly resembled a purple since the night wasn't far anymore. And Mia set the pace this time, walking down the sidewalk towards the apartment chain where she lived.

It wasn't really far. It was the very reason why she had even moved there, she had told him yesterday. Her parents lived in Tokyo as well, but her university had been in another ward so a tiny flat was a lot better than having to sit on a train for an hour and a half.

Those were problems he didn't really share; his place was pretty empty and small. He only went there to sleep. The rest of his time was spent outside. Bugging Satsuki at the café or hanging out with Kagami if neither of them were able to find Kuroko. University...the sound alone sent shivers down his spine. Too many people, overpowering scents, noise. The only thing he did enjoy was playing basketball, alone or with others - ghoul or human didn't matter there.

But that was all.

His blue eyes rose to the tall building they had finally reached. A wall of concrete like many others in Tokyo city, although he already knew it, of course. From the entrance to the elevator and the certain green door which resembled a checkpoint of sorts. If the girl had stepped into her flat, it always felt like she'd be alright till the next morning. Just a bit.

And like always he followed her down the corridor towards her home, glancing around here and there to make sure that nothing was disarray since he had been there last.

"Do you..want a cup of coffee?"

Aomine's gaze flickered to the orange-head who unlocked her door, glancing up at him with the same expression like always. Innocent in a way maybe, honest. If it had been someone else, he would have probably expected some thought behind it. Dirty or malicious, or like Satsuki who more or less forced him to sit down and try her newest attempt. But the girl in front of him only stared up at him, patient.

"Sure."

His reply was late; his chain of thought had been too long. But Mia only smiled, pushing her door open.

"Thank god, at least I can do _something_."

The blue haired ghoul furrowed his brow, trailing immediately afterwards into the small comfy flat. He had never been in there before though, honestly, even if she didn't seem to bring up what had happened in that one night - he would have never expected her to grand him access to her home.

"What do ya mean?"

Aomine drawled his question slowly; curious enough to look around the narrow kitchen they immediately landed in. The orange-haired girl sat the plastic bag she had bought onto the counter beside the sink, offering a little uncertain grin.

"Well, I'm not exactly paying you to pick me up and stuff." Flicking a light switch on to flood the tiny kitchen with light, Mia moved towards a door. "So...I wondered, you know? What I could do in return. Coffee sounded like an idea."

Something was really wrong with her head.

The young man closed the entrance behind him, waiting a moment, as if he was certain she'd change her mind after all. But she didn't. She only slipped out of her shoes, reminding him to do the same before she left the kitchen in front of his eyes.

"It's not super tidy though, okay? Since Nanami is mostly the only one who comes over, I never really bother..."

Mia's voice reached his sensitive ears, accompanied by a few light steps and rustling. She was definitely picking up some things from the floor, trying to clean up whatever she called a mess. But he still lingered in front of the entrance, taking his time to get out of his sneakers. There were two bright green cups in the sink, the ghoul noted dully. A cutting board and a bowl with fresh fruits right beside it and it all it looked so...well, used.

A strange sight, he thought.

"You can turn the TV on if you want."

Aomine immediately turned towards the open door at his right where Mia's figure had appeared.

"Could be awkward to wait in silence till the coffee is ready..."

"Who says it isn't awkward already?"

"Oh, shut up." She grumbled with a lopsided smile. "Just get out of my kitchen and sit down."

Aomine started grinning, finally moving away from the entrance. The first thing he could already see in her living room, which was obviously her bedroom as well, was the couch she had mentioned. It was in the center. With a low glass table in front of it for any useless nonsense you'd put there instead of a shelf. Everything in here wasn't really grand though, Satsuki's place was certainly bigger - but his own flat wasn't really big, too.

To live alone as a student was probably not really cheap...not to forget all the food humans had to buy all the time.

But it did look comfy. Her bed in the corner was overloaded with a handful of pillows, books and other things which nearly spilled out of a shelf beside it. The plants next to the TV, however, looked healthy and neatly placed there. They were glowing in a vibrant green with yellow blossoms sprouting in between the leaves, as if the city air didn't disturb them at all. Aomine didn't know what he had expected, but it all fitted into this place in the end, he guessed.

Still feeling a bit foreign in the home of a human though, he made his way towards the couch. Unlike Satsuki's, this one here wasn't too soft. The damn furniture didn't attempt to suck him in, the second his body made contact with the cushions. And after the first wave of _'weirdness'_ left him, he actually felt alright. The small flat wasn't too bad.

He reached for the remote, allowing the typical noise of some show fill the room. The face of a well known comedian met him instantly, a man in his thirties who was too popular for his own good. But Aomine could care less. He still heard Mia moving around in the kitchen, his senses easily picking up the difference between laughter and clattering cups and cupboards. And his tense shoulders relaxed further into the cushions as he just waited there like she had told him to do.

"Alright."

His attention quickly travelled from the screen to the door where the orange-haired girl appeared, carrying two cups.

"It's still hot though, so watch out."

She placed the steaming beverages onto the table in front of him, one filled with something very dark while the other was lighter. Hot chocolate, the ghoul immediately recalled. She had always ordered that too in the coffee shop. She certainly seemed to like things which were supposed to be sweet. At least that's how it should taste like if the few human customers in the café hadn't lied.

Damn he really was really getting slowly hungry...

Slowly he leaned forward, reaching for his coffee. He suddenly felt the need to drown his tongue in the burning brown liquid. Maybe he should have declined. Should have said no and gone back home? Those thoughts were dangerous, the ghoul shouldn't be here if the cravings weren't under complete control...stupid. Why in the world did he say yes?

"You like Warara?"

"What?" Aomine blinked at the orange-head who had sat down next to him, her knees drawn to her legs to get more comfortable.

"The comedian." Mia pointed towards the TV where the audience started laughing suddenly, a chorus of voices filling the room even though neither had really registered the joke.

"Aah, dunno...it's just something you watch I guess, ya know?"

"Yeah."

The girl agreed with an understanding smile, reaching forward to grab her hot chocolate while the blue haired ghoul already took a generous sip of his way too hot coffee. It stung. Even if pain was never really his biggest concern - it stung terribly and left a taste behind which surely didn't belong to the coffee's note.

"I always really liked animated movies though."

Aomine forced his attention back to her, snorting.

"Really? Ain't those for kids?"

"They're for families." Mia argued quickly. "Everyone can see them."

Her expression was remarkable, a frown and sulky pout mixed up with a half-hearted glare since she obviously lacked any other good arguments than those. And her blush. Her _whole_ face glowed in embarrassment because he was mocking her preference a little bit. But it was enough to make Aomine snicker. His amusement overshadowed his stinging tongue by miles, pushing any uncomfortable thought he had before away. And the orange-haired girl groaned, trying to shove him off her couch. As if she'd ever be strong enough to do so though.

The ghoul blew onto his coffee with a smirk, his chuckling ceasing.

He could get used to this.

Really.

He could.

"_Nah_, Nidori..."

She merely hummed in return, stubbornly staring at the TV with her warm beverage in her hands.

"Tomorrow, I can't pick you up."

Mia glanced at him out of the corners of her eyes.

"So don't do anythin' stupid, ya hear me?"

It was a short moment in between them, his deep blue clashing with her dark grey eyes. Just staring. But then the girl slowly nodded, not naive enough to question him when he was telling her something like this.

"Okay."

Aomine nodded; satisfied with her reply and only then he truly aimed his attention towards the lively television and the show. Tomorrow was Saturday. Tomorrow he'd make sure those morons would stay the hell away from this place. Make sure they wouldn't dare anymore to step into the sixteenth ward as long as he was still here. And as long as it meant that this certain human would be safe.

Inviting a ghoul into her home just like this...

He breathed a low laugh.


	3. Scream

_Alright_, it's going to be a four part thing.

I thought I could squish it all into one chapter, but that didn't feel right, haha. This chapter here though is like, only action. Only plot. Sorry for anyone who wished for a bit more romance! There will be a bit, not much since I wanted to write action to begin with, but in the next chapter will be something!

And even though I said _'Hell yeah let's write action!'_ I'm honestly often at loss how to describe fight scenes in the end, haha. Stupid.

I hope you will enjoy nevertheless! And thank you for every follow, favorite and review!

* * *

><p><em>Warning! There will be curses and blood and gore and violence and stuff!<em>

* * *

><p><strong>SCREAM<strong>

* * *

><p>"Who's there?"<p>

The man stood up, letting go of the shredded arm he had been holding. The limb fell to the ground, hitting the puddle of blood beneath the silhouette lifelessly. It was a small noise it created, a splashing which spread the red liquid across the pavement and the corpse at his feet. Coloring the grey of the asphalt in a dark crimson while it drenched the shirt of the victim further in its own blood. And the man lifted his arm to get rid of the rest which decorated his mouth, spreading it across his jaw. His gaze wandered around the dark alley he was in to find the source of the noise he had heard.

But nothing answered him.

His black and red eyes narrowed, his forehead set into wrinkles as he turned around in a full circle. His nerves were obviously on edge. Instincts ruling over any rationality and thought - and in the end, he had been right to trust them. It was merely a shame that there was no warning as something suddenly dashed across the darkness of the alley, colliding with him from behind.

The ghoul gasped, landing face first onto the asphalt where the rough surface gnawed at his flesh. A sudden weight pressed onto him, heavy and strong. Keeping him immobile at all cost, no matter how much he started to struggle.

"The hell! Let me go!"

"Yeah..." A deep voice drawled. "...'think I can't do that."

He stopped struggling at once, straining his ears to hear the slow heavy steps in between the noise inside of his head and heavy heartbeat. The ghoul craned his neck, twisting his head around until he saw a pair of long legs approaching him from behind. The weight was still pressing onto his spine, a hand grasping his hair to keep his head still with force.

And then someone suddenly crouched down in front of him. A pair of deep blue eyes was gazing at the bloodied ghoul, lips pulled into a dark lopsided grin.

"Shit."

"Heh." Aomine breathed. "Yeah, _'shit'_. This ain't your turf, is it? This ain't a neutral territory, eh?"

"Look, I, I was told to go here- I was told to eat as much as I want and-"

The ghoul's head was suddenly smashed into the ground, the hold onto his messy hair tightening painfully. The man moaned in pain, struggling out of reflex against the weight on his back. But it was an attempt in vain; whoever sat upon him pushed their knee further into his spine. Threatening break a joint or two - it was obvious that he started to panic by now.

"I'll, I'll leave, okay? I'll never come back- just, just let me-"

"Ya know..." Aomine tilted his head to the side, staring coldly at the man on the ground. "...I got a better idea."

The man paled, any color his face had possessed before was drained by fear. He was about to shake his head, knowing exactly what the blue haired ghoul in front of him wanted. But he couldn't do that. He'd be dead if he spilled any beans. He'd be completely screwed. However, he was already as good as dead in that moment he realized soon. All it took was a tiny nod of Aomine before the weight upon his back increased. The knee on his spine pushed into him forcefully, cracking a joint out of his spine. Breaking two rips on his right side...

The stranger howled, his body trembling and shivering. Beneath the weight upon him, his low back split open. The last resort of his body kicked in, the adrenaline and blood cells manifested into a brittle tail. Nothing strong or impressing, he wasn't one of the upper members of their kind. He was nothing but a common ghoul. But the attempt alone would cost him quite a fortune.

Aomine smirked as the man felt a hand grasp his tail, ripping it slowly off. Tearing the boney fabric apart, millimeter by millimeter-

"**Okay!**" He yelled, his voice nothing but a screech. "I'll take you to the boss, I'll take you to the guy who said it was alright! Just _please_. Please _don't_..."

"Kagami."

At once the force vanished and the weight lifted. The ghoul continued to lie on the ground, gasping for air which had definitely become painful with the broken bones in his body. But his blurred gaze rose to the shadow who appeared beside him, the tall figure with the burning red hair who only glanced at him in pure disinterest.

"Ya needed my help again _because?_"

Aomine snorted, standing up again.

"The fun hasn't even started yet, Bakagami. Chill."

Kagami lifted an eyebrow, frowning at the other young man. But their silent conversation came to a halt as both of them looked at the writhing ghoul on the ground. Watching him squirm and cling to his broken rips. The grin upon Aomine's lips shrunk, his narrow eyes growing darker as the stranger finally dared to look up again.

"If ya dare to fuck with me, you're dead. Ya hear me?"

Slowly, the ghoul nodded, gritting his teeth.

"Good." The dark skinned man pushed his hands into his pockets. "So move it."

* * *

><p>"Really?"<p>

The girl opened her fridge, crouching down in front of it. Her right shoulder was lifted awkwardly, keeping her telephone in place in between her ear and her shoulder as she started digging through the contents of her fridge. There just had to be _something_ in between the milk, fish and cheese she had bought yesterday with Aomine. She was hungry. "I thought you two had broken up?"

_"I'm not even sure anymore if it had been a relationship to begin with."_

Mia started to frown, gazing towards the telephone the best she could. That sounded quite strange. Well, at least as strange as it could be, she guessed. The orange-head had never been the genius concerning the topic love or relationships. But if she thought of her best friend, the older student with the glasses was the only man she had ever associated with the title _'Nanami's boyfriend'_. And that was already an honor.

Finally pulling out a carrot out of the bottom drawer, the girl closed the fridge once again.

"I've never understood him, he was a scary senior in high school." After a little silence, Mia added an afterthought. "You can be pretty scary, too. That's why I thought you two would understand each other just fine."

_"Oh, I'm scary?"_

"Just sometimes." Mia murmured into the speaker with a grin. "But why would he suddenly call you again anyway?"

_"I don't know. He's probably trying to pull some psychological game off with me..."_

"I wouldn't be surprised."

_"That's the thing. Me neither."_

Mia suddenly started laughing, causing the girl on the other side of the line to chuckle as well. Nanami had been so busy the past days with her studies. Writing one essay after another, reading through quite a handful of books...although in the end the orange-head couldn't complain, she thought. Her previous days had been anything but normal. Two weeks hadn't even passed yet, but to the girl it felt like an eternity.

Her dark grey eyes fell to the two coffee packages upon her counter, lingering there for a while. She could still remember it clearly. The black in his eyes, the glowing red glinting through the darkness of the very late afternoon after he had nearly torn off the arm of one of the strangers...the frozen expression in his face - that's when she had recognized him, Mia thought. The sharp features, the natural frown he always wore when he stepped into the coffee shop. He was so tall; it was hard not to notice him sometimes.

But his already dark skin was suddenly tainted.

A bloody handprint had been clinging to his cheek where the stranger had pressed against him, trying to shove him away while the blue haired man was choking him.

To think that he had been a ghoul all this time...

_"Hm."_

Nanami's quite humming finally pulled the girl out of her thoughts, making her look away from the coffee nearly startled.

"Something wrong?"

_"I'm in a convenience store right now and thought about buying some snacks. Anything you want?"_

"What?" The orange-head lifted a brow, her lips curving into a light smile. "I've already bought some yesterday...do you wanna come over?"

_"Maybe. It's Saturday. But if we want to do a movie night, we'll need a movie."_ Her friend encountered. Calm and collected like always with the subtle tone of humor in her voice.

Right. Picking up a movie had always been Mia's task whenever they met to watch something together. And on any other day a few weeks ago, the girl would have agreed right away. But Aomine's deep voice rang in her ears, his sudden serious tune as he had told her to not do anything stupid. She didn't have to think about it for long - going out to fetch a movie _was_ stupid.

But how could she explain the situation to Nanami without mentioning anything her friend wasn't supposed to know?

_"Mia?"_

"Uh, yeah. Yeah. I mean no, I mean...I was just- just thinking..."

_"About what?"_

_Humans that hide the identity of ghouls are to be punished harder than people who prevent the prosecution of a common criminal._

What was she supposed to say? Mia couldn't mention her accident. She couldn't mention the ghouls because she would have to mention Aomine and Satsuki in the long run. The orange haired girl had been hiding their identity up until now, she had barely realized that. _But that was illegal_. And if Nanami knew too...who knew if she would get into trouble as well? Her best friend wouldn't tell the CCG...she wouldn't. No.

But...how could Mia know if she wouldn't get into danger, too?

_"Mia?"_

"About how I, I wasn't feeling too well these past few days. I was wondering where my scarf was." The student replied quickly, trying to laugh it off.

_"...are you alright?"_

"Yeah."

Nanami would never believe her cheap lies. Mia was lucky her friend couldn't see her face right now, her poker face was terrible. But any excuse would definitely sound too hollow; her best friend was able to read her easily. She would ask questions. She would play Sherlock Holmes in a way only Nanami could.

Quickly, the orange haired girl set the vegetable upon the counter. Untouched. The tiny rent-store she always went to wasn't far. But those few blocks seemed suddenly _really_ far. Shaking her head Mia left her kitchen to step into her room, opening a drawer of her closet. She dug through the random contents for a little while until she found what she was looking for.

"I'll go and get one."

_"Okay..."_ Nanami breathed, so slowly that the student was worried for a second that she'd was about to interrogate her a little bit. _"I'll be over in an hour more or less...I'll stop at Chichiba and get you some soup."_

"What would I do without you?"

_"Probably die."_

It was a joke, really. Her friend's humor tended to be a bit darker. But the orange haired girl had to gulp for a second before she could laugh.

"Definitely. Alright, I'm on my way then. See you soon."

Pressing a button to end the call, the girl stared at the object in her hand. Mia had never needed pepper spray before. Her father had mostly been joking, handing it to her as a little goodbye and welcome gift as she had moved into her tiny flat. But in this very moment it felt heavy. Heavy and cold, since a thought inside of her mind blossomed through all the meaningless nonsense.

She could use that.

She could _need_ it.

Mia hadn't known Aomine for long, but she felt so safe beside him. The young man was tall, he looked gruff and bit rough around the edges - but he was nice in his own way. Funny even. They could have been friends already if it weren't for the fact that they had lived in complete different worlds up until now. And she had done nothing to deserve his sudden presence around her, having him escort her like a bodyguard from point A to point B over and over again.

"Ghouls are people, too..."

Her fingers folded around the can, some spot in her mind was still shoving the certain night deep into a dark corner. She didn't need to remember it again. She didn't need to see once more what Aomine was capable of. She didn't want to remember what ghouls ate in order to stay alive. Ignorance was bliss. She had never known how true these few words were until she had come to known the blue haired man.

Standing up, the orange head reached for her bag and jacket. Four blocks. Not more. Nothing had happened when she had moved around with the ghoul at her side. There had been nothing suspicious in her opinion, so why should there be something now? Saturday nights were busy. People were everywhere, and before Aomine and these two strangers, she had never met a ghoul personally either to begin with.

_Or at least she thought she hadn't..._

Mia furrowed her brow, pausing in the middle of buttoning up her jacket.

_She suddenly wasn't so certain about that anymore..._

"Whatever."

Impatiently, she stuffed her wallet into one pocket while the pepper spray and her keys landed in the other one. It was not more than twenty minutes to the shop. Fifteen if she hurried. So in half an hour she could be already home again if the store wasn't crowded. The university student did consider herself a bit paranoid, just like any other late teen who finally grew into adulthood. But it had never been this bad, she believed.

Nevertheless she switched of the light, closing and locking the door behind her as she left her flat.

A shiver ran immediately down her spine.

"It's getting cold." Mia grumbled to herself, rubbing her hands. "Better hurry up."

* * *

><p>The sewers were foul.<p>

Aomine's gaze glinted through the shadows, never leaving the ghoul in front of him for too long who led them through the maze-like paths. He still clung to his side, cradling his broken ribs. But he refrained from complaining or making any noise, knowing full well that neither of them would show mercy. They were still in the underground system the humans had built, not deep enough to reach the 24th ward.

Apparently, the morons he had been searching for had moved to another exit of the sewers.

The blue haired young man felt already immensely annoyed that those rats had dared to hunt in their territory, escaping from every scene through the dark tunnels before anyone could stop them. They were nothing but cowards. Nothing but cheap trouble makers who dared to provoke him by trailing after the orange-head he had taken under his wing as well.

Clicking his tongue, the blue haired ghoul rolled his shoulders back.

_He'll kill them._

He will kill every single one of their crew to make sure no one would ever step into their territory again. It took years until Nijimura achieved what he had. A docile ward in between the bloody ones was rare. A part of Tokyo where ghouls were actually able to take a breath instead of running away from the CCG all the time...next to the sixteenth there was only the twentieth ward which had reached that as far as he had heard.

_This was not only about his human_, Aomine thought. _This was about their low profile._

He had comrades who wouldn't care about this. Other ghouls who had moved to other wards in the past, who enjoyed the chaos, the thrill, the danger - but at least Aomine could count on Kagami. The redhead was a bit stubborn and narrow-minded, but he always listened. Kuroko wouldn't want to fight. He was more mature, and Aomine didn't need _'mature'_ right now.

"Here." The injured ghoul suddenly murmured. "This tunnel leads to the end of the sewers beneath the bridge...the, the boss said he'd be here tonight."

"Good." Aomine replied, shoving the ghoul further ahead who had stopped walking.

"Wha-? I, I thought I could go if-"

"_Really?_" Kagami snorted beside the blue haired young man. "You're comin' with us, buddy. You'll be a good little guy and introduce us, now won't you?"

The ghoul looked even paler than he had before, his crimson eyes flickering between the two a few times. Still doubting that he had heard right. But neither Kagami nor Aomine said anything else, their expression frozen in a cold but determined stare. If the two agreed on something, then they damn well did. And the stranger lowered his head as he realized that, turning towards the exit.

The injured ghoul shoved the heavy grid door open, groaning quietly to himself since his broken ribs poked into his guts the second he strained his muscles.

But with a screech it fell open.

The sound of running water met them first. The river which was flowing beneath the bridge moved past them calmly, only splashing sometimes against the riverside. And in the moonshine and pale streetlamp light which reached this little corner, the silhouettes grew sharper and sharper the further the three of them moved ahead. Aomine gave the injured ghoul a last kick, sending him flying to the ground behind the strangers who all turned around at the strangled groan of the man.

Five men. Five ghouls. And every single face was one he hadn't ever seen before in their ward. _Ah_. Except one. There was _one_ he had seen before in fact; the right ear he had ripped off in his rage was still bandaged. A thick patch glued to the side of his face to keep the wound sealed and safe. It wasn't completely restored yet by the other ghoul's abilities.

Aomine's dark gaze narrowed immediately, locking with the one who recognized him as well.

"Funny, I was just thinking about ya."

The blue haired young man started grinning, leaning his weight upon his left foot.

"_Missed me?_"

One of the strangers wrinkled his nose, glancing at the adult on the end of the line. "I thought you had dealt with it."

"How is it my fault?!" The ghoul with the bandaged ear spoke up. "It ain't my fault that he's a human fetishist!"

Kagami actually snorted a laugh, earning a glare from Aomine.

"Your people can't claim the whole ward." One stranger started, lifting a hand to brush through his messy blond hair. "It's not your right."

"Oh, it _ain't?_" Aomine echoed. "The last time _I_ checked, a territory belongs to the strongest ghoul who claimed it. Ain't my problem that a handful of us actually came to the agreement _not_ to rip each other into fucking shreds and _share_."

"Tch." The tallest ghoul glanced at the men around him, obviously growing annoyed. "_Settle it._"

The white of the strangers' eyes suddenly changed into a pitch black, allowing the deep red pupils to glint through the night. He had wanted a fight anyway, the blue haired ghoul thought to himself. He had wanted to squish them, leave nothing but dust behind. Satsuki would never have to know. Kagami could keep a secret or two.

And he'd finally find peace of some sort.

_He was hungry._

Frowning, Aomine removed his jacket. He couldn't eat. He wouldn't. Not yet. Just not yet. To think that he wouldn't already get himself something by now was ridiculous - but his priorities had grown.

They had changed.

Throwing his jacket aside, the blue haired young man stared at the four men who were already getting into position. Either lifting their balled fists or gritting their teeth - one of them was even impatient. Barking and growling an insult or two as his shirt split open, revealing the long sharp limbs which were suddenly growing out of his hip.

"So, we gonna split up even? Or do I have to do everythin'?"

Aomine glanced at the redhead beside him, only mildly surprised that he wasn't even fazed by the sight in front of him. The ghoul in between the fronts was still on the floor, terrified of what he had gotten caught up in. But his flimsy attempt to get out of the battle zone were ignored, no one paid attention to him anymore while Aomine actually grinned lopsidedly at his friend.

"Don't get full of yourself just yet, moron."

Kagami returned the ever so malicious grin, his gaze alight. The deep reddish maroon of his eyes didn't even change as he dashed forward. The blue haired ghoul was caught off guard for a single second as his comrade already lifted his fist, crouching down before leaping into the air. It bursted. Like a flame the certain cells exploded on the young man's upper right shoulder, lifting him higher and higher until his fist collided with the man's face he had selected full force.

The stranger immediately flew back, coughing and groaning as he crashed onto the ground.

And that had been the signal they had all needed.

Every single one of them started to move. The long sharp limbs the one ghoul had created, rushed towards Kagami. The ends pointy and sharp like blades - whipping through the air furiously to hit its target. But the redhead was quicker, jumping out of its range while Aomine already sprinted forward to attack him instead. The blue haired ghoul was ready to use any chance of little distraction he got to end this fight faster.

They didn't deserve any more.

Reaching for the head of his opponent, Aomine barely watched how the man grimaced at the force he used. Instead he immediately turned, twisting his feet just the right way to summon all the strength he could. The wall beside the entrance to the sewers looked just _perfect_ for his face. Really. Even more as he hauled the stranger towards it, watching him collide with the concrete. The sturdy stone crumbled beneath the strength, burying the man beneath the debris who could do nothing but scream.

_He will kill them._

That thought flooded Aomine's mind, allowing his instincts to take over fully. He could feel the blood boil in his veins. Rushing through his fingertips and arms until he could sense the familiar heat gather in his left shoulder - he couldn't let Kagami do all the work anyway, could he? His grin lit up as his now crimson colored gaze travelled towards the next ghoul in line, the sharp ends of his Kagune falling forward like a curtain. The bloody spikes concealed half of his face for a second before they bended back again, spreading his deformed wing like an omen in the air.

This time he wouldn't leave any trace behind.

A sudden long limb whizzed past him, forcing Aomine to glance behind him where one of the men suddenly flew a few meters away. The stranger cursed, reaching for his arm while the scrawny red limbs pushed him onto his feet again.

"What would you do if I wouldn't watch ya six?"

Kagami landed behind Aomine, not bearing the blue haired ghoul any glance. All the tall young man saw instead was the redhead's burning wing. The blood cells were always moving. Pulsing like a flame, never ceasing to flicker and glint in any way while Aomine's reminded him more of sturdy spikes and sharp edges.

It was amusing how different and yet alike they fought, too.

"_Heh._" Aomine breathed, turning forward again to watch two of the strangers flex their balled fists. "Ask me that again if I save _ya_ ass like always."

One of their opponents dashed towards them, the long slim tail on his back swinging forward to strike them before they'd be able to dodge the attack. But the blue haired ghoul was no fool. He had fought his share of battles throughout these years. He knew when to jump, to leap into the air with all its might before he'd crash down onto his enemy. Landing one hit after another, ignoring the pain of the spikes of the tail which bit into his back as the stranger screamed and fell back.

There was a reason why this territory belonged to him and their crew, Aomine thought darkly.

And only because they lived peacefully in the world of the humans, or at least as peaceful as ghouls could in this cruel world, it didn't mean that they were weak.

But a curse left his lips as a blade like object pressed into his side. Tearing his skin apart, tugging at his muscle fibers. The only reason the strangers could be called a hindrance was because they were outnumbering them. Aomine was fast, he was strong. But there was no way he would be able to keep his eyes on three people at once.

Gritting his teeth he turned to glare at the other ghoul, his gaze burning through the very young night which was greeting them slowly but surely.

_He was going to kill them._

A scream suddenly resounded throughout the city, echoing through the countless streets of the ward.

And the night had just begun.


End file.
